Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Belait: $1,726 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon, Portugal
Kuala Belait, Brunei
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Kuala Belait
🇧🇳 Brunei
$1,726
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kuala Belait

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Kuala Belait actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Kuala Belait $1,726

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,561 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Kuala Belait $2,561

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,397 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Kuala Belait $3,397

Lisbon costs about 28% more than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Kuala Belait sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Kuala Belait by 27%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$7.77 BND 9.92
114.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$47.28 BND 60.4
30.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$7.74 BND 9.89
46.77%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.89 BND 2.42
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.39 BND 3.06
-
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$4.46 BND 5.70
-33.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.88 BND 1.13
160.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.50 BND 0.64
248.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.82 BND 2.32
-36.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.51 BND 3.21
-23.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$2.30 BND 2.94
-34.35%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.70 BND 3.45
48.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$19.08 BND 24.38
-32.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$9.44 BND 12.06
-17.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$24.33 BND 31.10
-27.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$4.83 BND 6.17
-52.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.17 BND 2.77
-20.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$5.01 BND 6.40
-62.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.49 BND 3.18
4.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.73 BND 2.21
5.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.91 BND 3.72
-32.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$5.51 BND 7.05
-73.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.86 BND 1.10
-16.28%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$11.81 BND 15.09
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.91 BND 7.55
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$7.89 BND 10.08
-16.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$4.01 BND 5.12
-3.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$3.27 BND 4.18
-67.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$11.49 BND 14.68
43.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.35 BND 0.45
528.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$31.8K BND 40.7K
7.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$26.9K BND 34.3K
44.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$39.60 BND 50.6
307.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$21.64 BND 27.65
-14.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$65.2 BND 83.3
-49.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$99.3 BND 127
-55.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$27.87 BND 35.61
-31.47%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$5.49 BND 7.02
74.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$217 BND 278
207.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$9,343 BND 11.9K
88.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$76.2 BND 97.4
33.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$101 BND 129
-55.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$155 BND 198
-36.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$71.1 BND 90.8
73.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$730 BND 933
120.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$789 BND 1,009
50.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,167 BND 1,491
141.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$1,169 BND 1,493
72.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Kuala Belait
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$3,379 BND 4,318
-53.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.88
-0.77%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Kuala Belait
$789 33.7% $401
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Kuala Belait
$354 29.9% $81
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Kuala Belait
$144 40.5% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Kuala Belait
$126 40.5% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Kuala Belait
$181 9.2% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Kuala Belait
$110 73.1% $47
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Kuala Belait
$20 * 67.8% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Belait are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $47 in Kuala Belait. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $354 in Kuala Belait – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇳 Kuala Belait
🕒 Local time
08:03 8:03 AM
16:03 4:03 PM
8 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
31,178
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Kuala Belait 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Kuala Belait

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Lisbon vs Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Kuala Belait compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,726 in Kuala Belait – Kuala Belait comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Kuala Belait?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,589 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Kuala Belait?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Kuala Belait?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,726 in Kuala Belait. That makes Kuala Belait about 22% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Kuala Belait?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $3,000 go in Lisbon compared to Kuala Belait?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,726 in Kuala Belait, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Lisbon or Kuala Belait?
Families tend to lean toward Kuala Belait – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Lisbon or Kuala Belait safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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